Friction shock absorber for railway car trucks



July 5, 1955 G. E. DATH 2,712,288

FRICTION SHOCK ABSORBER FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKSy Filed Dec. 2/ 1'949 2 sheets-sheet 1 G.- E. DATH FRICTION SHOCK ABSORBER FOR RAILWAY CAR TRUCKS July 5, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed DSC. 2, 1949 ITU/enfer.' gegge FRICTION SHOCK ABSORBER FORRAILWAY CAR TRUCKS George E. Dath, Mokena, Ill., assignor to W. Ila-Miner, lne., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application December 2, 1949, Serial No. 130,808 n 4 claims. (Cl. 10s- 191) This invention relates to improvements in railway c ar trucks, and more particularly to means for frictionally retarding up and down movement ofthe truck in the truck side frames. y vg One object of the invention is to provide in a; railway car truck, means for effectively snubbing the-action vof the ,"usual truck springs by frictionally lopposing downy bolster ward and upward movement of the truck bolster ttf-.tile 'A i' car. ,l A more specific object ofthe invention is to prOYe in a railway car truck, means for frictionally resisting vertical movement of the truck bolster, including a fric,- tion block having sliding frictional engagement with one side of the bolster, wherein the block is forced against the bolster by a spring member having direct wedging en gagement with said block.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly ap pear from the description and claims hereinafter followln the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view, partly broken away, through one of the side frame members and the truck bolster of a railway car truck, Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View, corresponding substantially to the line 2 2 of Figure l. Figure 3 is a broken side elevational View of the side frame member and bolster shown in Figure l. Figure 4 is a vertical secjtional view, corresponding substantially to the line 4 4 of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a detailed perspective view lof one of the friction blocks of my improved mechanism. Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, illustrating a modilied form of friction block. ln said drawings, 10 indicates one of the side frame members of a railway car truck. The side frame member 10 is in the form of a casting and has top and bottom,

horizontal members 11 and 12 connected by spaced, vertically disposed, inner and outer sections 13-13, and vertically extending, transverse webs 14-14. As will be understood by those skilled in this art, the railway car truck includes two side frame members 10-10, a truck bolster 15, and the usual truck springs 16-16, comprising two clusters at opposite sides of the truck, supported on the lower members 12-12 by the usual spring plank 17. The opposite ends of the bolster 15 are guided between the sections 13-13 of the truck side frame, and the bolster is supported by the springs 16-16. The truck bolster, in turn, supports the body bolster of the car.

As shown in Figures 'l and 3, the sections 13-13 of the side frames have inwardly offset portions at their upper ends which provide vertical guides 18-18 at opposite sides of the bolster 15 on which the bolster is slidable. The vertical side faces at opposite sides of the bolster 15, which cooperate with the guides V18---18, are substantially at and provide vertically extending friction surfaces 19-19.

My improved snubbing means, as shown in the drawings, comprises broadly a pair of friction shoes A--A, carried by each side frame member, having fricticnal `bythe vertical sections 13-13.

ICC

Contact with vthe bolster at opposite sides thereof, and springs Bh- B having wedging engagement with the shoes A--A to force the same against the bolster. 1

fln" carrying out my invention, l provide each side frame member 10 of the truck with opposed pockets 204420 at the -bolster guides, each pocket opening in'- wardly `toward the bolster and being dened by horizontal top and bottom walls21-21, a vertical back wall 22 extending from one vertical section 13 ofthe bolster to the other vertical section thereof, and side walls formed 1 The shoes A-Aa're'twoin number for eachside frame member, four such shoes being provided in Yeach truck. The'shoes A are all of similar design and are arranged'in pairs at opposite ends of thetruck bolster 15. Eachshoe'A is Vin the form of' a'block' having a 'v'jertically extending, flat, outer side face, presenting a flat'friction surface 23, slidingly engaged with the frictiony surfac'ej19 at the corresponding side of the bolster. Bach :shoe A is slidingly guided in the corresponding pocket 20 of the side frame. Each shoe A is cut out fon itsiinner' side to provide top and bottom, laterallypr'ojectiiig-,'-vertically spaced arms 24' and- 25. The arms 24 andl25 are provided with opposed, laterallydiverging', flat 4vbvdge faces "26+26.

The springs B are also four in number for each car truck, one of the same being employed in connection with; each friction block. Each spring B is in the form of a helical coil, which is disposed vertically in the corresponding pocket 20, and has its outer side wedged between the arms 24 and 25 of the corresponding friction block. As will be evident, the tendency of the spring B to expand wedges the block outwardly of the pocket 20 into tight frictional engagement with the corresponding side of the bolster 15.

The action of the springs 16-16 of the railway car truck is effectively snubbed by the frictional engagement of the friction shoes A-A with the-bolster.

Referring to the modified form of friction block shown in Figure 6, and indicated by C, it is pointed out that the same is identical with the block A hereinbefore described, with the exception that the top and bottom arms 0f the block C, which arms are indicated by 124 and 125, are connected by vertical side walls 126-426. The arms 124 and 125 are provided with outwardly diverging Wedge faces 127-127 ywith which a spring, similar to the spring B, cooperates to press the friction surface side 128 of the block into tight engagement with the bolster.

I claim:

l. In a railway car truck, the combination with side frames provided with bolster guides; of a truck bolster on the truck side frames between said guides, supported by truck springs; pockets in each side frame at opposite` sides of said bolster, each of said pockets havinghorizontal top and bottom walls and a vertical back wall; a vertically disposed coil spring in each pocket, interposed between said horizontal top and bottom walls of said pocket, and having the side thereof remote from the bolster abutting said back wall of said pocket; and a friction block horizontally slidable in each pocket, each block having a wedge-shaped arm thereon extending toward the back wall of said pocket and in wedging engagement between one of said horizontal walls of said pocket and the corresponding end portion of said spring, at the side of the latterwhich faces the bolster, to compress said spring at said last named side thereof, each block having a friction surface, on the side thereof opposite to the side from which said wedge-shaped arm projects, engaged with said bolster. Y

2. In a railway car truck, the combination with a side frame provided with bolster guides; of a truck bolster on said truck side frame between said guides, supported by truck springs, a pocket in said side frame at one side of said bolster at said bolster guides, said pocket having spaced horizontal walls at the top and bottom sides thereof and a vertical back wall; a friction block slidable horizontally in said pocket, said block having top and bottom, wedge-shaped arms thereon projecting toward said back wall of said pocket; and a vertically disposed, helically coiled spring in said pocket interposed between said spaced horizontal walls and abutting said back wall, said spring having the side thereof which faces the bolster wedged between said top and bottom arms to wedge said block outwardly against the bolster. l r

3. In a railway car truck, the combination `.with side frame members provided with bolster guides, a, truck bolster, and springs supporting said bolster on the trncl side frame member between said guides; of pockets in each side frame member at opposite sides of the. bolster l at said bolster guides, each pocket having a vertical rear wall; a vertically disposed coil spring within Veach pocket having one side thereof abutting said rear wall of said pocket; and a friction block telescoped in each pocket, said block having top and bottom arms projecting from one side thereof provided with wedge faces diverging outwardly of said arms and between which the other side of said spring is wedged, said block having frictional engagement with the bolster.

4. In a railway* car truck, the combination with 't1-tick Y d.

' portingsaidbolster on the side frame members, said side frame members being provided with bolster guides; of a laterally opening pocket in one of said side frame members at the bolster guide thereof, said pocket having a vertical rear wall; a vertically disposed coil spring within said pocket and bearing against said rear Wall; and a friction block telescoped within said pocket, said block having top and bottom, laterally extending arms projecting toward said vertical rear wall of said pocket, said arms lbeing provided with opposed, diverging Wedge faces in wedging engagement with the top and bottom ends of said spring at the side thereof remote from said .verticaly rear wall of the pocket, said block having a friction surface on the side thereof opposite to the side from which the arms project slidingly engaged with the corresponding side of the bolster.

References Cited in the file of this patent y UNITED. STATES PATENTS 1,173,397 y Trowbridge Feb. 29, 1916 1;'414-,957 Kadel May 2, 1922 1,743,864 -OConnor Jan. 14, i930 k2,277,263 Tucker Mar. 24, 1942 v2,434,583 Pierce Jan. 13, 1948 2,437,359 Pierce Mar. 9, 1948 Lehman Sept. 19, 1948 

